Folding chair

ABSTRACT

A type of improved folding chair includes brackets and seat fabric. Brackets on the four facades are each composed of intersecting diagonal bars. Right and left facades consist of intersecting long bars and medium-sized bars with the upper curved portion of the long bars providing support for the backrest. A fabric seat for the chair comprises an attached cushion, a backrest and side bags where the side bags form a triangular shape, which is sewn onto both the adjacent sides of the cushion and the backrest. When the chair is opened, the tightened side bags form a third structure allowing for an arm rest.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

This invention is related to the field of leisure furniture, and consists specifically of an improved folding chair.

Technical Background

Chinese Patent Publication No. CN200620097043.7 describes a simplified folding chair consisting of brackets and a fabric seat supported by brackets. The brackets are divided into four separate facades, each fitted with two intersecting diagonal bars. The diagonal bars of each side are connected to the adjacent facades with hinge joints. For the four bracketed facades, one symmetrical pair of intersecting bars are comprised of short bars, whereas, the other symmetrical pair of intersecting bars are comprised of long bars. The ends of the short diagonal bars are hinged near the ends of the long bars, and the long diagonal bars are hinged close to the end and have separate footing caps. The symmetrical pair of long intersecting bars makes up the primary structural support for the folding chair, and provides support for the seat fabric as well as the ground. The connection of the other symmetrical pair of short intersecting bars have a role in sharing the force in the overall structure of the chair. This will then allow for a shortening of the interconnected diagonal bars, but will not have any effect on the function and stability of the chair and will save resources. Nevertheless, the backrest is still needs two backrest support bars. Additionally, both sides of the fabric seat are open, and the sitting posture itself is also appears defective at first glance. How to improve the efficiency of a traditional folding chair is therefore an object of this invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A purpose of this invention is to design an improved folding chair utilizing right and left side diagonal bars extending upwardly and forming a backrest support as well as utilizing side bags.

The technical plan of this invention was accomplished in the following manner:

A new type of improved folding chair consisting of brackets and a fabric seat supported by brackets is provided.

The above stated brackets are divided into four separate facades, each fitted with two intersecting diagonal bars. The diagonal bars of each facade are connected to the adjacent facades by means of hinge joints.

The brackets on the right and left facades consist of two intersecting bars that are elongated, whereas the two intersecting bars on the front and back facade are shorter bars.

The above short bars are situated on the front and back facades and connected by means of a hinge joint close to the ends of the longer diagonal bars.

Some of the invention's special features include the following:

There are two elongated diagonal bars on the right and left sides consisting of long and medium-sized bars.

The long bar is curved near the upper end, which is utilized to provide support for the backrest.

The medium-sized bar is curved near the lower end, which provides support for the chair resting on the ground.

The above stated fabric seat consists of a cushion, a backrest, and a side bag.

The front portion of the above stated seat cushion fits onto the ends of the middle-sized bars.

The upper portion of the above stated fabric seat fits onto the ends of the long bars.

The above stated side bags are triangular in shape, and are sewn onto both sides of the seat cushion and backrest. When the chair unfolds, the upper ends of the long and middle-sized bars stretch out, resulting in the side bags forming arm rests.

The hinges that connect the intersecting middle-sized bars are covered with a protective sheath. When the chair is in the open position, the convex portion of this sheath protrudes below the long bar to provide additional support.

The above stated short intersecting bars on the rear facade are connected by hinge to the long bars at the point of curvature and are connected by hinge on the other end to the medium-sized bars.

The back corners of the above stated cushion portion of the fabric seat contain a strap, which is attached to the upper ends of the long bars. Once the chair is unfolded, these straps allow for a tightening of the cushion portion.

The front portion of the above stated seat cushion and the upper edge of the backrest portion are respectively formed into a thickened structure, which is filled with a foam material.

The underside of the seat cushion is sewn with a pocket, which is slipped on to the ends of the medium-sized bars and is affixed by means of rivets or similar fastener; a leather pocket is sewn onto the upper sides of the backrest, which slipped onto the upper ends of the long rods and is also affixed by means of rivets/fasteners.

A particular characteristic of this invention is that its structure is clever, reasonable, and light; it can meet the needs of standard seating but is also constructed in a manner allowing a form fitting for both sides of the buttocks, which then allows not only for proper privacy, but also makes the chair suitable for more solemn occasions. Furthermore, the side bags have utility in weighted reinforcement in relation to the upper ends of the long and medium-sized bars to allow for more stability for the seated person. At the same time, the stretching of these side bags satisfies the need for arm placement and provides soft arm rests.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a front view of the folding chair.

FIG. 2 shows a rear view of the folding chair.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the folding chair in an open position.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the folding chair in open position.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the folding chair in a collapsed position.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the right-angle rivet.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings. Namely, in the drawings the following reference numbers refer to the following part:

-   1—short diagonal bar -   2—long bar -   21—long bar curved -   3—medium-sized bar -   31—medium-sized bar curved -   4—Protective sheath -   41—Convex portion -   5—Cushion -   51—Strap -   52—Fabric pocket -   53—Thickened area -   6—backrest -   61—Leather pocket -   7—Side bag -   71—Tapered portion -   8—Right-angle rivet

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

FIGS. 1 to 6 show at least one embodiment of an improved folding chair having brackets and a fabric supported by brackets. The brackets are divided into four facades, each of which is composed of two intersecting diagonal bars. A front and back intersecting diagonal bars consist of short bars (1). Two intersecting diagonal bars on the right and left facade are long bars, which are further identified as long bars (2) and medium-sized bars (3). Back facing ends of the long bars (2) and medium-sized bars (3) are curved, with this curved section (21) and forming a support for the backrest. The lower end of the medium-sized bars also have a curved portion (31) and provide support for the chair on the ground. Both of these bars were constructed inwardly.

Furthermore, a protective sheath (4) is attached on the hinge at the point where the medium-sized bars (3) intersect. When the chair is in the open position, the vertical convex portion (41) of this sheath protrudes below the long bar (2) to provide additional support and lessens the stress placed upon the point of intersection of the intersecting bars. The short diagonal bars (1) on the rear facade are attached by hinge on the curved portion (21) of long bars, whereas the lower ends are attached by hinge to the tops of the medium-sized bars, which has the dual use of both maintaining a strong support for the backrest as well as shortening the length of the short diagonal bars (1).

As for the seat portion, it has a connected cushion (5), a backrest (6) and side bags (7). The side bags (7) are formed in a triangular shape, with two of its sides being sewed to the both sides of the cushion (5) as well as the backrest (7). The front side of the cushion (5) is slipped onto the tops of the medium-size bars, whereas the backrest (5) is slipped onto the upper ends of the long bars (2). When the folding chair is opened, the upper ends of the long bars (2) and middle-sized bars (3) stretch out, resulting in the tapered portions (71) of the side bags (7) forming arm rests.

Furthermore, the rear side of the cushion portion (5) of the fabric seat extends outwardly. In other words, the cushion portion (5) is a rectangular shape and the backrest (6) and side bags (7) are stitched inward along with the cushion (5), that results in the cushion (5) being divided into an effective area of an isosceles triangle. Firstly, the backrest (6) is formed in an oblique shape, thus conforming to the needs of a seated position and can also effectively support the waist area of the human body, and secondly, the rear portion provides a convenient attachment to the upper portion of the long rod (2). That is, the rear corners of the cushion portion (5) are sewn with a strap (51) with the other end the strap (51) being riveted to the upper end of the long bar (2). When the folding chair opens it then tightens the seat cushion portions (5) by means of the straps (51) with the weight being transmitted to the middle of the long bar (2).

In order to assist with assembly, a pocket (52) is sewn onto the lower side of the front portion of the cushion (5), and the upper portion of the medium-sized bar 3 is slipped into the pocket (52) and is affixed by rivets or similar fasteners. A leather pocket is then sewn onto both sides of the upper portion of the backrest (6). The leather pocket (61) is then slipped onto the upper portion of the long bar (2), the location of which is on the curved portion (21) of the long bar near the top and is then also affixed by rivet. In this manner, the brackets and the fabric seat are separate during assembly and processing, and whereas afterwards the fabric seat can be assembled onto the bracket, with neither having any effect on the other. Furthermore, the upper edge of the front portion of the seat (5) and the upper edge of the backrest (6) combine to form a thickened structure, which is filled with spongy material adding more thickness to the thickened region (53) and increasing the comfort of the chair.

A stated purpose of this application is to optimize the structure of existing folding chairs. The four bracket facades are composed of two diagonal bars that intersect each other. These two diagonal intersecting bars on each facade are attached by a single rivet, and bars on adjacent facades are then attached by a hinge, which is made possible by use of a right-angle rivet (8) as shown in FIG. 6. This can achieve a dual-axis rotation function that can reduce the traditional use of plastic parts for this purpose, with the result that no plastic parts obstruct the collapsing of the chair, as shown in FIG. 5. The curved portions of the long rods (2) and medium-sized rods (3) and the folded section of the long rod 2 and the middle rod 3 help to minimize the thickness of the chair when collapsed, which allows for easier storage. One important feature is the way in which the upper portions of the curved ends of the long bars (2) are able to provide support to the backrest, along with the addition of the side bags that allow forming a closed structure for the fabric chair. The curved portions of the medium-sized bars (3) also help to move the center of folding chair forward, as in FIG. 5, in order to maintain an equilibrium for all the bars. 

I claim:
 1. a folding chair having brackets and a fabric seat supported by brackets; the brackets are divided into four separate facades, each fitted with two intersecting diagonal bars; the diagonal bars of each facade are connected to the adjacent facades by means of hinge joints; the brackets on the right and left facades comprise two intersecting bars that are long in length, whereas the two intersecting bars on the front and back facade are short bars; the above stated short bars situation on the front and back facades are connected via a hinge joint close the ends of the longer diagonal bars.
 2. The chair of claim 1 further including: the two long diagonal bars on the right and left sides consist of long and medium-sized bars; the long bar is curved near the upper end, which is utilized to provide support for the backrest; the medium-sized bar is curved near the lower end, which provides support for the chair resting on the ground; the above stated fabric seat consists of a cushion, a backrest, and a side bag; the front portion of the above stated seat cushion fits onto the ends of the middle-sized bars; the upper portion of the above stated fabric seat fits onto the ends of the long bars; the above stated side bags are triangular in shape, and are sewn onto both sides seat cushion and backrest; when the chair unfolds, the upper ends of the long and middle-sized bars stretch out, resulting in the side bags forming arm rests.
 3. The chair of claim 1 wherein the hinges that connect the intersecting middle-sized rods are covered with a protective sheath; and wherein when the chair is in the open position, the sheath protrudes below the long bar to provide additional support.
 4. The chair of claim 1 wherein the short intersecting bars on the rear facade are connected by hinge to the long bars at the point of curvature and are connected by hinge on the other end to the medium-sized bars.
 5. The chair of claim 1 wherein: the back corners of the cushion portion of the fabric seat contain a stitched strip, which is attached to the upper ends of the long bars. Once the chair is unfolded, this stitching allows for a tightening of the cushion portion.
 6. The chair of claim 1 wherein: the front portion of the seat cushion and the upper edge of the backrest portion are respectively formed into a thickened structure, which is filled with an foam material.
 7. The chair of claim 5 wherein: the underside of the seat cushion is sewn with a pocket, which is slipped on to the ends of the medium-sized bars and is affixed by means of rivets; a leather pocket is sewn onto the upper sides of the backrest, which slipped onto the upper ends of the long bars and is also affixed by means of rivets. 